<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Easy Lies the Face that Wears the Mask by MaybeMayura</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25360255">Easy Lies the Face that Wears the Mask</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeMayura/pseuds/MaybeMayura'>MaybeMayura</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>2020 au, COVID-19, Face Masks, Fluff, Pandemics, Protective Gabriel, gabenath, gabriel x nathalie - Freeform, immunocompromised</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:27:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,724</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25360255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeMayura/pseuds/MaybeMayura</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Independent one-shot, not connected to "The Miraculous House" universe. Written as canon-ly as possible, but with a little silliness thrown in.</p><p>The pandemic seems to be slowing, and people are all too ready to get back to normal. What does this mean for Nathalie, and what can Gabriel do to protect her?</p><p>Link to art, by @lorrainingart on tumblr!! https://maybemayura.tumblr.com/post/624035356919169024/here-we-have-art-by-the-beautiful-lorrainingart</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth &amp; Nathalie Sancoeur</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Easy Lies the Face that Wears the Mask</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a sunny day in Paris, mid-June, 2020.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ever-increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases had been slackening since the end of April, but widely acknowledged by the reeling world was the fact that no country was out of the woods just yet. France had initiated its Phase Two of reopening establishments such as restaurants, parks, and gardens at the beginning of the month, but the population density of the city meant Paris proper still lagged behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nathalie Sancoeur tied the strings of her mask behind her head, careful not to snag her hair, in preparation to walk out the front doors of the Agreste mansion for the first time in months. Gabriel had handmade the item for her with his bored-designer hands; it was of pretty purple cloth embroidered with butterflies as a subtle joke between the two of them. It fit the contours of her face perfectly. Didn’t even fog her glasses. There were certainly some benefits to working for someone who was an expert tailor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She knew she probably shouldn’t be leaving with how she was. She wouldn’t have made this trip, except Adrien had run out of allergy medication, and their grocery service didn’t deliver from the pharmacy. Adrien, like her, had been confined to the house once school had gone online. Luckily for him he was used to his learning environment being his own dining room, but Nathalie could tell he dearly missed his friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there was the third occupant of the house, who had insisted she take up residence there the moment quarantine regulations had gone in place. At first, she had thought it for ease of work purposes, and counted her lucky stars she and Gabriel were already well versed in zoom meetings. But with the downward trend in the economy and consumer spending, the demands of Gabriel’s brand had eased up some. At least his open schedule meant she could force Gabriel to spend more time with his poor lonely son.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another positive was the fact that although there was an overabundance of fear and anxiety due to the pandemic, effective akumas were more difficult due to the city residents being housebound and Gabriel’s desire to create them had seemingly fizzled. But now things were opening back up, and he hadn’t picked up the brooch again. She wondered why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man in question pushed open the door from the dining room into the foyer just as Nathalie picked up her purse to leave. Speak of the devil.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t be going.” Gabriel pressed his lips together, clasping his hands behind his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Nathalie sighed. “Sir, we’ve had this discussion. You don’t know the pertinent information about Adrien’s prescriptions, and I’m the one who they expect to come pick it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But the miraculous—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—hasn’t been used by me in </span>
  <em>
    <span>months</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Gabriel, I’ll be fine. It’s one short outing, for heaven’s sake.” He knew he couldn’t win this argument. He used his lack of immediate response as an excuse to run his finger along the edge of her mask, as if checking the fit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Be careful,” he said and turned away. He heard the door open and the clicking of her heels as she left and bowed his head with a sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The news had been troubling as of late. More and more reports were on of people ignoring the social distancing, of going out without face coverings. Not as bad as overseas, of course; the French weren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> stupid. Honestly, he couldn’t care less about most of it as long as the people he cared about were safe. There weren’t many of them, really, except for his son…and his potentially immunocompromised assistant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew the effects of using the broken peacock miraculous were still present in her body. He would hear her coughing from the other room when she thought he didn’t know. Her dizzy spells may have been less frequent, but they hadn’t entirely abated. Of course, nothing was for sure. Nobody knew the effects of miraculous on the immune system. But she wasn’t at her best, and that made him worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t calm down again until he heard the front gate open and the hum of the car pulling in. He tried to make it look like he hadn’t been waiting at the door for when she opened it, Adrien’s medication in hand. Apparently, he failed, because she gave him an exasperated look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gabriel. Please stop worrying. I made sure to stay two meters apart from anyone. I didn’t touch door handles. The pharmacist and I had a delightful chat about their current disinfecting measures. And of course, I’ve got my lovely mask.” She pulled out a little bottle of sanitizer and used some before removing the article from her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s eyes tracked the movement of her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course. The masks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His brain clicked on and the ideas started flowing. He turned without another word and walked briskly to the atelier, making a beeline for his drawing tablet. A few minutes and some quick sketches and he was well on the way to a new idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had influence, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Especially on the fashion industry.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Gabriel stood in the recording studio, nervous, but not about to show it. He had never actually appeared in any of his ads before. But if people saw a respected public figure championing the mask and discovered new and stylish options to express themselves with, perhaps it would have an impact. Still, the actual act wasn’t any less nerve wracking, even with a script he had pre-written.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he felt an urgent need to do it, for one specific person. Who was currently at his side, tapping away on her tablet as per usual, the purple swath of fabric covering the lower half of her face. Probably scheduling something. Perhaps Adrien’s last-minute shoot, where he would model a few pieces from Gabriel’s new mask collection. Gabriel was wearing one himself, since they were outside the mansion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The waiting was wearing on him. “Can’t I just send out an akuma that only attacks people who aren’t wearing masks? Surely that would be just as effective,” he groaned softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nathalie raised an eyebrow. “Are you daft? Do that, release your collection, and then Ladybug and Chat Noir will </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> put two and two together and find out your identity. Have you forgotten they’ve suspected you before?” She looked like she was going to say something else, but her breath hitched, and she suddenly doubled over in a fit of coughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s heart lurched and his arms found themselves snaking around her torso and pulling her closer to him. On an impulse, he spoke. “Listen, Nathalie. I can’t lose you. I’m…frightened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked surprised at this admission. Caught off guard. He had never been able to render her speechless like this before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment was interrupted when the shoot manager walked over and he had to quickly release her. “Mm. Agreste, you’re set to record in sixty seconds. But first I think you should, ah, revist some of your written lines.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabriel looked down at the paper he had been handed in frustration. A short note was scribbled about halfway down the paragraph in red pen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, ‘not appropriate for television advert?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man cleared his throat. “With all due respect, sir, we are required to maintain a G rating,” he said, apologetically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean I can’t say ‘wear a fucking mask to protect my…my…”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My love,</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the phrase on his tongue. The producer shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m, ah. Sorry. But we’re out of time.” He took back the paper and thrust Gabriel over to a backdrop and a microphone.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you, sir, for practicing social distancing, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Gabriel thought as he cringed internally, yanking his arm away. He was glad for having perfected the art of making his facial features impassive. It was fine, he supposed. He would just spit out something professional-sounding like he usually did. He found himself looking for someone past the lights.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aaand…</span>
  <em>
    <span>action.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabriel looked into the camera sternly. “I of all people should know, wearing a mask does not make you tacky or un-fashionable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, there she was. He and Nathalie locked eyes. Words were still coming out of his mouth. “Wear a mask, and wear it properly, because there is someone out there who is much more vulnerable than you and is counting on you to help slow the spread. Your country, your…loved ones, will thank you for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cut.” Came the command. “That was excellent, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some unseen speaker playing a different part of the ad launched into a prerecorded spiel: “</span>
  <em>
    <span>New, Gabriel™ brand cloth face masks…”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Nathalie and Gabriel sat on the couch post-dinner, much closer together than the government-mandated two meters apart. She had her shoes off, feet tucked up beside her on the couch, and was sorting through some of the proofs from Adrien’s impromptu photo shoot on her tablet. His son had been all too happy to model some of the masks in the park that afternoon to help boost public opinion of them. Gabriel had made them in all different designs and colors, but not purple. Nathalie’s mask was not one in the collection. It was unique only to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She broke their companionable silence, not looking up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you really mean what you said earlier?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t play dumb. What you said about being…afraid to lose me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabriel swallowed. Her shoulder not </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite </span>
  </em>
  <span>touching his. “Of course I did. You’re my Nathalie. My Mayura.” He placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up so she would look at him. “Besides, I wouldn’t have done that wretched ad for anyone else.” He noticed the faintest of color tinging her cheeks. Their faces were very close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She narrowed her eyes and they flicked downward to his mouth. “You’d better not have coronavirus on those lips,” she said, and kissed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabriel didn’t want it to end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they broke apart, her eyes were shining. “So, I’m guessing you’d prefer if I stayed home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, there’s nobody I’d rather quarantine with…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, Gabriel </span>
  <em>
    <span>sir</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you barely left the house in the first place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ouch. Fair enough,” he said, and smiled, his lips still tingling with the feeling of hers.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This flash-fic idea comes out of a beautiful art piece by @lorrainingart in the Gabenath Book Club server, the comic containing immunocompromised Mayura (https://code-tonic.tumblr.com/post/616505084808937472/here-are-some-rules-and-tips-how-to-deal-with) , and my own worries about my friends and family. Love to all of you, stay safe, and WEAR A MASK! </p><p>Here’s a link from my university system on myths and facts in case you’d like to brush up: https://www.umms.org/coronavirus/what-to-know/symptoms-prevention/masks/wearing-mask</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>